Potter Palmer [1826-1902] and Bertha Palmer [1849 - 1918] lie within the two large granite sarcophagi. The inverted torches on the sides symbolic of death. Three generations of their descendants lie beneath the floor around them. McKim, Mead & White designed their tomb the style of a Greek temple, which is the largest in Graceland.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Lumber magnate William Goodman (1848-1936) hired architect Howard Van Doren Shaw to design this tomb as a tribute to his playwright son Kenneth Sawyer Goodman, who died in 1918 of influenza while serving as a lieutenant at Great Lakes Naval Training Station ..
On either side of the relief carving are the words from the Song of Solomon, "Until the Day Breaks and the Shadows Flee Away."

The Goodman Theater was also a tribute to Kenneth S. Goodman, and was designed by the same architect Howard Van Doren Shaw..

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Ann Halsted Row Houses.. [1884-85]1826-34 N. Lincoln Park West..Architects: Adler & SullivanA set of five row houses.Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan began with the construction of only 3 townhouses in 1885. Later, two more townhouses were added. Louis Sullivan was still young and relatively unknown in Chicago in 1884-85, when he built residences for Ann Halsted, a wealthy woman, who rented them for families and then sold them.

Thanks to the GRACIOUS hosts, Hjordis and Jim Garner..I saw a Louis Sullivan townhouse inside-out.. Their house is wonderfully preserved and they showed me books and newspaper clippings where their beautiful Sullivan house have been written about.. Here's a excerpt from a Chicago Tribune article by Abigail Foerstner [Sunday, Sep 7, 1986]..The architect is a legend to most Chicagoans, but to the people who live in the townhouses, the legend touches their lives every day in the stained glass skylight and signature details.

"In the morning when the sun shines through it, the stained glass window throws color all over the living room. Towards evening, the colors become very serene", says Chicago attorney Lawrence Kipperman who restored his townhouse..

Notice how the stairways follows a gracefully curving wall..

" There was a decorative aspect to all his work, but it wasn't decoration. Ornament was a part of the architecture, an original American architecture.."- Tim Samuelson..

Sullivan's floral patterns is present in embryonic form at the townhouses.Sullivan, one of the founders of modern architecture in America, gave form to the skyscrapers. Though his skyscrapers are dwarfed by their contemporary counterparts, they remain testament to Sullivan's creativity. Steel frame construction made the new designs possible and Sullivan approached them with light, airy designs suggested by new skeletal form. Still in his hands the facade rose in festive busts of berries, leaves and flowers, molded in terra cotta over the steel. Sullivan had spliced the Victorian and modern ages...

The original Sullivan door-knob ornamentation..

This Sullivan's well preserved townhouse, is mentioned in many books..- Louis Henry Sullivan - by Mario Manieri Elia- Sullivan's City: The Meaning of Ornament for Louis Sullivan - By David Van Zanten- The autobiography of an idea - Louis H. Sulllivan..

Friday, September 3, 2010

Krause Music StoreWilliam Presto, architectLouis Sullivan, associate architect1922..The facade of this small building was Louis Sullivan's last commission, and it reflects the careful attention to detail that characterized Sullivan's work. Elaborate terracotta ornament, projcting above the roofline and frame the large display window, draws attention to the store and to it's contents.Designated a Chicago landmark on Sep 26, 1977by the City Council of ChicagoMichael A Bilandic, MayorCommission on Chicago Historical and Architectural Landmarks..

William P Krause was a successful music salesman, and he wanted to build a storefront worth attention. He hired William C. Presto as the architect. However, Presto had earlier worked with Sullivan for designing the Framers and Merchants Bank, in 1919. He recommended Sullivan to complete the job. The project became Sullivan's last project.

Above are some of the ornamental details of the Krause Music Store.. By 1922, when Krause Music Store was commissioned, Sullivan's style was no longer in vogue. The taste had changed in favor of the Beaux-Arts style of architecture. In his ill-health and living in a rented room, Sullivan began writing "The Autobiography of an Idea", and working on a series of drawings. It was during this period of reflection on his life and career that Sullivan accepted the Krause commission. The design illustrated that he still possessed an astonishingly moving artistic talent.
[Ref: Louis Henri Sullivan: Krause Music Store]..

The above image is from the exhibit "Louis Sullivan's Idea", at the Chicago Cultural Center [June 26–November 28,2010] has some interesting information on it. Initially fearing that Sullivan would reject the modest project, Presto found him pleased and grateful to have the work. To help ensure the project would be built, the terra cotta company supplied the material without markup at the cost of $3,770..

Neglect and Restoration.. And Awards..
Talking about Krause Music Store, one has to mention it's neglect and amazing restoration..
In 1929 Krause died, and the property was initially rented and eventually sold to a funeral company. For the next six decades, the Krause building served as a funeral parlor and underwent much neglect and alteration to its windows, doors and façade.

Lots of credit goes to it's current owner Studio V Designs for it's restoration.They hired preservation architects McGuire Igleski & Associates for the restoration. A second architect was hired to adapt the commercial interior for use as the new home of Studio V Design. The architectural firm of Wheeler Kearns designed the new office.

The project has received a number of awards for its historic restoration and adaptive reuse. It has been honored by..
- The American Institute of Architects with a Crombie Taylor Honor Award,
- Landmarks Illinois with a Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award,
- The City of Chicago with a Landmarks Preservation Award, and..
- The National Park Service added it to the National Register of Historic Places.

* Anecdote..
Driving in Lincoln Park area, with six-way intersections, is no joke, at least for me!! Thanks to Jennifer Dickson.. for navigating my way through those complicated streets.. And discovering Krause Music Store was purely a lucky coincidence. I wanted to see it, but before I could enter the address in my GPS, she spotted it anyways, just driving down the streets..

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About Me

All the images in this blog and my other blogs, have been produced by me. See and enjoy the images. But please do not use or reproduce any of these images without written permission.
Contact at: jyoti[at]lensimpressions[dot]net